Suppressed Emotions
by pritchett127
Summary: The story of a unique Padawan nearing his Trials who encounters many characters from the Clone Wars era and shatters the very fabric of what the Force was known to be.
1. An Introduction, of Sorts

**Author's note: **

I would highly advise reading the Star Wars Republic Commando books and watching the Clone Wars movie that began the series. Having seen the series would be helpful, but as long as you know the very basic characters, you should be okay. This story is a parody and I'm jumping right in...Prior knowledge is _required_ for context and enjoyment. Also, this story takes place at the end of the Clone Wars, as Order 66 is issued later in the plot. Ahsoka would have been nearing the end of her training by then, so it was assumed that she was more powerful than in the series. I know some of my character's powers resemble Galen Marek's, but honestly, without thinking of him at all, I imagined powers and even meditation being similar. Also thanks to Alice Foxworth for being the first to read this. All of the characters in the stories are not mine; only Tokrin came from my head. I do not own the rights to any of the others!

-Thank you.

Without further adieu, the story!

**-An Introduction, Of Sorts-**

"Ah great," I said.

We were surrounded for the second time that day.

"Sir, do you get into tight spots like this all the time?" asked CC-4397, nicknamed "Gett." He was in command of the unit of clones under me and my Master.

I was recently assigned to the 25th Sky Corp with my teacher, newly appointed Master Yemgen Otarri. We were tasked with destroying a comms relay on the planet Saleucami. A Padawan nearing my Trials to become a Jedi Knight, I was training to be highly specialized in combat, unique weapons, and a powerful control of the Force. I was being trained under some of the most well-known Jedi Masters in the Galaxy such as, Yoda, Obi Wan Kenobi, and Mace Windu. They all taught me well and I learned quickly.

I smiled at him, "Gett, what fun would this war be if I didn't get us into tight spots?"

He shook his head, "I don't see how this is much fun."

"Tell the men to form an arc with the larties and AT-TEs and to prepare to leave."

"Yes, sir," He said, walking off to give out the orders.

Master Otarri and I had split up our forces to flank the Separatists. It failed miserably. I watched my unit go about its various tasks. Usually the Sky Corps didn't get into "tight spots." They were a blast in blast out sort of unit that was used for rapid entry and even faster exit. However, on this mission, intel was particularly incorrect and was not able to accurately inform us of the droid numbers, which in this case were in the thousands. Our troops got ambushed following their landing after a high altitude drop. Currently we were trapped in a dead ended valley with no way out. Of course, since the troopers all had jetpacks we could've just escaped by going up on top of the sheer valley walls. But scouts reported that the droids were already moving in to surround us both above and below. We were trapped in a horseshoe-like alcove so forming an arc shaped barricade would "complete the circle" giving us legitimate cover. As the last AT-TE was put into place, the droids were easily visible only a few hundred yards away. My Master was likewise stuck in another alcove and communications were spotty between each other.

I activated my comlink, "General Tur-Mukan, we need your assistance. My men and I are trapped and have suffered many casualties. Master Otarri is also surrounded in an alcove not far from me to the East. We need another Battle of Dinlo."

"Padawan Helturus. We will be there soon. ETA 10 minutes. Let's hope it will be as successful as Dinlo. We'll see you soon and, may the Force be with you."

"And you," I said closing the channel. "Gett! I'll go up and clear out an area for you to retreat," I shouted to him.

"Ok sir. Watch yourself up there!"

"I won't be a moment."

I opened my comlink for a second time. "Master, are you there?"

"Y-s Tokrin, I- here," I could hear blaster fire and the sound of bolts ricocheting off of his lightsaber. "Spea- quickly; t-s connection -ll soon be lost!"

"I just contacted General Tur-Mukan. She will arrive in 10 minutes. Be ready to evacuate. I am already preparing my men for departure."

"Good job my young appren-. - tried contacting her and could not. I will see - aboard the Relentless."

With that I ran to the nearest wall and used the Force to jump to a ledge halfway up the face. Not wanting to break momentum; I sprung from that ledge all the way up to the top of the cliff. I poked my head up over the lip of the ledge to observe my surroundings. I was greeted by a droid's blaster.

I smiled and sent it flying into another tinnie with the Force, decommissioning them both. I pushed at the ground with my fingertips, sending myself flying overhead. I twisted in the air and did a front-flip. My blue beamed, double-bladed lightsaber was out in midair and activated to deflect any incoming fire as I landed on my feet. I returned several bolts to their rightful owners and prepared to attack as the first shells from the clones' AT-TEs hit their marks down below. In front of me was a squad of super battle droids and two squads of regular tinnies.

I ran to the super battle droids first and began to hack and slice and deflect blaster bolts. I twirled and spun and leaped finally facing the other droids after coming to a halt. The last few supers fell to the ground in a heap. I decided to hit the button on the middle of my lightsaber. I twisted the hilt in opposite directions and had a lightsaber in each hand. I rotated them using my wrist and spun around flipping the lightsabers and coming in contact with the first several droids. The shrapnel flew as I cut heads and arms off of each droid. The burning pieces singed my robes. To buy myself some time, I faced one whole squad of droids and pushed hard with the Force. The tinnies flew back and landed on top of each other in a twisted, tangled heap of metal. I continued to fight for a long while until I heard a cry from Gett over my comlink.

"Commander, come quickly! The droids are breaking through our barricade! Medic! Get him out of the line of fire!"

"I've cleared a path; coming back."

I sprinted to the edge of the cliff and threw myself off of it. The ground rushed towards me, but before I hit it I pushed with the Force and slowed my fall to land on my feet. Gett was behind a crate, returning fire when he could. There were only a few clones left, their dead brothers scattered across the battlefield.

How could this happen? How could the intel have been that bad? I thought to myself.

Gett saw me and motioned me over. I ran to him, activating my two lightsabers. I stopped next to his crate and deflected all incoming fire from him and another few clones.

"Sir we can't hold out any longer!"

"We have no choice Commander! We must wait for General Tur-Mukan and her reinforcements."

As if on cue, a larty flew overhead and fired several rockets into the thick droid ranks sending shrapnel and metal chunks everywhere.

"Here is our window gentlemen; let's go!" I shouted to the men. They responded by firing their jetpacks and launching up to the area that I had cleared. I left after the last clone was up over the ridge and firing back down towards the droids, providing me the opportunity to make my own escape. I ran to the wall and jumped three times on different points on the wall's face landing behind my men. A larty was just setting down and General Etain Tur-Mukan, my closest friend, got off, concussion rifle in hand. I noticed something else with her in the Force-someone else. I couldn't place what I was sensing, but I figured it could wait until later.

"Didn't take you for the heavy weapons type!" I shouted over the noise.

She just chuckled and fired a shot into a cluster of droids down below. They all exploded, scattering millions of tiny pieces and parts all over the ground.

Along with Etain came a squad of clones. Some of my men climbed aboard with wounded and the larty took off. One by one the larties came and went until it was just me, Etain, and half of her squad waiting for the last transport.

One of the clones walked up to me as I deflected another bolt. The helmet he wore had a custom paint job that made it look like a bomb had gone off in his face. Black "scorch marks" framed the Mandalorian T-shaped visor on his helmet. "Sir, let's leave them with a parting gift," He said, holding up a rocket launcher.

"Good idea. Aim for the middle larty's fuel cells."

"With pleasure sir!" He crouched and fired, sending a rocket straight into the larty. It exploded and caused a chain reaction along our barricade. The entire alcove lit up with a massive ball of flame as I patted his back and said, "Well done trooper. Now, let's get off this rock."

The last larty landed and we boarded it with haste, Etain and I still deflecting bolts until the doors closed. The glow of our lightsabers cast a light blue hue on the clones' armor.

We deactivated our elegant weapons and I reattached my hilts to form the long double-bladed saber. I proceeded to place it horizontally in its magnetic holder on the backside of my belt.

Etain smiled at me, grabbed my forearm with one hand and my shoulder with the other, and brought me in for a hug. I did the same and we each held the other at arms length, looking each other over.

"You look like the backside of a bantha!" Etain laughed. I had mud all over my face and all through my hair, which was shooting off in every direction, and my robes were burned and scorched from hot pieces of droid.

"You don't look much better!" I replied chuckling, motioning to her singed hair and dust covered robes. A twig had somehow managed to wedge itself deep in her reddish brown hair. "Hold still," I told her motioning for her to come closer. My hand grabbed the twig and carefully pulled.

"Ow! Wait let me get it!" She pushed me away and fidgeted with the twig and managed to get it out. Etain tossed it away and glared at me with a smile on her face.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help," I said holding up my arms defensively.

For the rest of the trip to the Relentless everyone kept silent, mostly because Etain was embarrassed to show such a relaxed side of herself to her men. Once we landed in the hanger Etain and I were greeted by the strong smell of sweat, burnt armor, and burnt flesh. My troopers were badly beaten and scarred from the battle below. Etain and I walked among them, trying our best to comfort some of them who lost brothers or were injured, and trying to distract those who were in critical condition. The saddest part was that the clones didn't show their obvious pain and sadness. They all knew the stakes and knew what was required of them. Losing brothers hurt, but they couldn't let it affect their performance in battle. Etain gave me a knowing glance; she knew what I was feeling. She had often shared with me her feelings towards her clones and how she regarded them as individuals. I felt the same way towards mine.

However, she loved those under her command, either like brothers, friends, or in the case of Darman, a Republic Commando in Omega Squad, like something else completely. She asked me what I thought about her feelings for Darman several months before and I told her that she only had one life, and to use her time however she deemed fit. I hadn't spoken to her since and longed to ask her about what transpired between them.

"Tokrin!"

I turned to see Master Otarri walking towards me.

"Master, you're ok! I didn't see you when we came in."

"We just landed. Brilliant job by the way. You had good command of our troops even though we failed," he turned towards Etain and bowed slightly. "General Tur-Mukan, it's good to see you again."

She bowed back and said, "And you as well. It has been too long."

Etain looked nervous which surprised me; she was never nervous. What is that about?

"Master, I'd like to speak to General Tur-Mukan privately if that's alright."

"Of course. After you are done, prepare for our report to the Jedi Council. I need to speak with Commander Gett."

Etain and I left, but as Gett was being called over we passed him and noticed that he was holding his arm.

"Gett, get that arm looked at after you speak with Master Otarri; that's an order," I told him before he could protest. Etain followed me to the elevator, which lifted us both out of the hanger and to the crew's quarters. She followed me to my room and as soon as the door was closed she let out a long sigh and collapsed in a chair.

"Tired?" I asked.

"You have no idea," She said closing her eyes.

I sat in a chair opposite her and looked at her face.

"So, you and Darman."

She opened her eyes, sat up, and leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees and her head on her entwined fingers.


	2. Secrets Revealed

**-Secrets Revealed-**

"Oh, there's so much to tell," She told me nonchalantly.

"Ah, so you did do something. I wasn't sure because we hadn't talked for a long time. Well, what happened?"

"I had just interrogated a man by getting into his head and taking away his identity. It made me feel awful. I went to the 'freshers and got sick to my stomach. After a while Dar came to check on me," Etain smiled. "I needed someone to unload upon so badly right then that I chose him, not thinking about how close we really were. I wasn't being careful. We talked about loyalty and what we really believed about the war and then I asked him about us. He said he didn't know if there was something there but he was kidding himself. We ordered lunch and went off into a room, alone. We...you know...and now," She couldn't meet my gaze. "Tokrin, I'm pregnant..."

My eyes went wide and my mouth fell open. She had completely blown the Jedi Code to bits. It was the one foundation in a Jedi's life, the one thing that you couldn't veer from, and she had broken it into a million little pieces. I managed to find my jaw again and close my mouth.

"Etain, do you know what this means? Who else knows?"

"I know, I know , but no one but Kal Skirata, Dar's training sergeant knows. Dar doesn't even know."

"When is the baby due?"

"A few months; I've been using the Force to speed up the process."

"Why aren't you showing?"

"I'm not sure. I guess it's just because he is so small. I expect that I'll fill out pretty soon. I'm going to Quiilura after this until the baby is born."

"He explains what I felt in the Force when you got off the gunship. I thought there was another person with you until I saw just you. I meant to ask."

Etain touched her stomach and said, "Yes, little Venku was the one you felt. I felt him within days of me and Dar being together. I was very nervous when Master Otarri came over to greet me. I don't know how much he felt."

"I know you very well Etain; I regard you as a sister, and I don't think I've ever seen you nervous about anything. Anyway, I am very happy for you. If there is anything I can do...let me know; please. And obviously I won't be telling anyone about this."

"That is very much appreciated; I might have to take you up on that offer eventually but, for now, I can manage. That's enough about me. What have you been doing? From what I hear you have been very successful under Master Otarri."

I smiled, "Master Otarri tends to exaggerate my few successes. I am nearing the Trials though. I'm really anxious about getting those done. I know I'm fully capable, but Master Otarri says that I need to wait and gain more experience."

"He's right. Listen to him; even when I thought I was ready, I wasn't, until Master Zey helped me to mature and gain more experience. Trust your Master, he'll know when you're ready and will tell when you are."

"Thanks for the advice. It's been good catching up Etain," I motioned towards her belly and grinned. "Let me show you both to your quarters. We all need showers, a meal, and some rest. The Relentless will be approaching Coruscant soon and I suggest we all get some sleep before reporting to the Jedi Council. At least Master Otarri and I will be. The Council might be too interested on who else they sense with you."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Etain said, completely exhausted. "Oh, one more thing, this time, let's call each other's comlinks ever now and then instead of every 3 months ok?

I smiled, slightly embarrassed that I hadn't called her sooner. "Of course I will this time!"

Etain tiredly laughed. I could not imagine how utterly spent she was, carrying a baby and fighting a war. I walked her to her quarters and left her to decompress. I needed to rest as well so I quickly returned to my quarters and jumped in the shower, allowing the hot water to wash the stress away and relax my muscles. I left the 'fresher and sat down at my small desk to quickly get the report over with. After an hour or so, the report was complete and I was ravenously hungry. I sent an order down to the Mess and they sent up a small dinner which I devoured upon delivery. Showered and well fed, I flopped back onto my bed and immediately fell asleep.

The next thing I knew, I was waking to the feeling of the Relentless decelerating from lightspeed and entering Coruscant space. I changed into some fresh robes that had been placed for me next to my bed while I slept. Looking out from my viewport I observed the massive Republic fleet blockading the city-planet. The view was magnificent. All classes of Republic ships were arranged to ward off any incoming Separatist attack. The ships really were massive. One could not appreciate the scale of them until passing by one and realizing that, even though the ship looks close, it was actually several hundred meters away.

As we passed through the atmosphere, my view was closed off by a metal blast shield that came over the viewport. The Relentless slowly approached the dock and landed safely on the ground with a light 'thud.' My viewport was open again and I could see the Jedi Temple in the distance. A knock came from the door.

"Sir, may I enter?" Asked Commander Gett.

"Come on in Gett," I said turning to the door.

He entered and walked over to me.

"A shuttle for you, Master Otarri, and General Tur-Mukan is waiting just off the loading ramp Commander. I have already informed Master Otarri and the General," he said.

"Thank you Gett. It's been an honor," I said, shaking his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine sir," he replied.

"Will you get time ashore Commander?" I asked. These men rarely got any time for themselves, which greatly angered me. How could an army perform at its best when its troops and commanders were always exhausted?

"Yes sir, three days I believe," he said excitedly.

It's better than nothing, I thought.

"Good! I hope you enjoy yourself, for my sake."

"Sir?"

"I'll be reporting to the Jedi Council before heading out for another mission probably on the other side of the galaxy. Unfortunately I won't be rejoining the 25th."

At this, Gett seemed shocked. "But, sir, you are our Commander. You have led us for months."

"I know, I didn't expect to be taken from my post either but this is war, and as you well know, everyone has to be adaptable."

"Well in that case sir, it truly has been an honor. The troops and crew will be sad to see you go. Hopefully we'll save your carcass at some other point in the future!" he laughed.

I smiled and said, "Knowing my luck it's a great possibility!"

I followed Gett out the door and turned down the opposite corridor that he went before he stopped me.

"Sir, one last thing, would you like to come with me to the bridge and say a quick word to the crew before departure? Master Otarri has already given a speech, but I thought you might want to say something."

He had me hook, line, and sinker. I wanted to leave unnoticed, but quickly regretted it and realized that I couldn't just leave the men that I had bled for and fought with, because they had done the same for me.

"Of course I would."

He walked me to the bridge and entered before me. That was not Gett; he was always allowing other people to go first, but then I walked in and realized why he did. All of the bridge personnel were lined up and saluting me on either side of the path leading to the front of the bridge where the ship intercom was located. I was dumbstruck as I made my way to the intercom. Gett had hurried to his place next to it and pressed it for me.

I stood there looking at the solid red button, suddenly at a loss for words. I began to talk but wasn't aware of what I was saying.

"Troopers, gentlemen...my friends, I am constantly astounded by the quality of clone troopers. You always surprise me; your dedication to a task, your loyalty, and your honor. When I say that I am privileged to fight next to you all, and to know you, I really mean it and so much more. Everyone here aboard the Relentless has and always will have my eternal respect and then some. All I can say to you now is thank you. Thank you for believing in me to command you and for being the best soldiers this galaxy has ever known. I will not be joining you on your next tour as far as I know, but if I ever get a chance to command you again I will not hesitate to return. Now, I have one final order for you all before I leave: carry on your values, your tradition, and most importantly, your Mando heritage to your newer clone brothers; show them what it means to be in the 25th. Best of luck in your coming battles and, as always, may the Force be with you."

Upon my last word Gett hit the intercom button to end the transmission. The entire crew on the bridge exploded in applause and nodded my way as I passed by. Before I left the bridge I turned to Gett and gave him a knowing glance and a nod, which he returned. The doors opened and I stepped into the elevator. They closed behind me and the elevator took me to the loading bay. As I walked out of the Relentless and down the loading ramp, the troopers and crewmen all looked my way as I passed, and uttered phrases like "Way to go Commander!" and "Great speech sir!" I was still in disbelief that they thought I had done a good job leading them.

As Gett said, the transport was in fact waiting for me. Etain gave me a questioning look.

"Just saying goodbye to the crew," I said. I could only imagine how anxious she was; being with Master Otarri for so long could've been dangerous for her secret.

"Be careful my apprentice. Don't let your feelings towards the clones cloud your future judgement," Master Otarri said carefully.

"What do you mean Master?"

"I mean that when the time comes for you to give an order that will result in clones' deaths, be vigilant and be cautious. The Dark Side is tactful and will lure you away with your feelings."

"I'll do my best Master."

Etain went up to the cockpit and tapped the pilot's shoulder. He pressed a button and the ship took flight, then shot off in the direction of the Jedi Temple.

**The three of us were silent for the duration of the flight. Etain only spoke when she mentioned her times on Coruscant during leave. I knew that she was talking about her times with Darman but Master Otarri was still none the wiser.**


	3. Chapter 3 (Title in Chapter)

**-An Unexpected Encounter, a New Friend, and a New Mission-**

The pilot confirmed our landing with Temple Security and landed on a platform that slowly drew out towards us from one of the towers. The doors opened and we stepped out. Etain quickly hurried off telling me that she would speak to me later, while my Master and I walked through the hanger to the lift. Once there he mentioned needing to speak with Master Yoda about the false intelligence before the Jedi Council debrief, so I handed him the datapad with the finished report on it before we parted ways. He was grateful to me for taking the time to finish it. We arrived on his floor and he also told me that he would see me later in the afternoon, at the meeting. I was still thoroughly beat so I decided to head down to the Padawan dormitories in the accommodation sector. I never made many friends within the Order besides my Masters and Etain, so I walked straight to my small, simple room that consisted only of a thin mat with a small pillow, and a quaint desk and chair. I always felt that the "beds" were a little degrading but, I had never known anything else so I fell right to sleep once I laid down.

I tossed and turned in my sleep; the screams of my dying men filled my brain and rang through my ears. The sound of an artillery shell whizzing through the air and exploding right on top of me with an ear blasting boom startled me awake.

I checked my datapad and saw that the meeting started in an hour. I got up and walked out of my room and down the hall to the washrooms ignoring the other Padawans who also paid me no heed. Running some cold water into a sink and splashing it onto my face, woke me and ridded my head of the horrible sounds of battle. It truly was remarkable; the menacing chorus of battle was terrifying and horrible to hear, even if one side of the battle had mechanical soldiers without feelings or pain. After drying my face with a towel I decided to take a walk.

Not sure where exactly I was going, I did what Masters Yoda and Otarri told me to do every so often: I let the Force guide me, let it take me where it may. I never fully understood the point of wandering but I wasn't in a hurry, and soon found myself in the southeast corner of the Temple. The Jedi Council was in the northwestern spire. I checked my datapad and quickly regretted not going straight to the Council- I was going to be late no matter how I sliced it.

Well, at least I can tell them I followed their instruction, I thought to myself.

I decided to arrive sooner rather than later and sprinted through the corridors using the Force to detect anyone in my way around the upcoming corner. However, I apparently skipped over someone as I rounded the next corner, because the next thing I knew, I was on the floor with a young Togruta female laying on me. Also, a multitude of stars lit up my blinking eyes.

The girl was about my age; around 16, so her lekku hadn't fully extended yet. My eyebrows rose in surprise, waiting for her to get off of me because I didn't know who she was and didn't want to make the situation any weirder than it had to be. Thankfully we were alone in the long corridor and at least she wasn't laying on anything really embarrassing. I noticed that she had two strings of Padawan beads dropping down either side of the lekku at the nape of her neck. The strings came to a point right above her forehead. Her lekku were blue and white striped as were her montrals. Framing her face were multiple triangular/pyramidal shapes, a larger one in the upper center of her forehead. Her petite face had white markings that stood out on her orange skin. The markings gave her eyebrows and two diamonds above either eye with an almost helix shaped marking running up between her eyes. Her cheeks also had white markings that continued to help frame her lovely face.

The girl groaned and put her forearm horizontally across my lower chest to prop herself up. Her free hand rubbed her head where I had apparently run into her. She winced as her blue eyes opened to meet mine; they were dazzling and very large. She blinked for a second, looked at me, then down realizing she was on top of me, pinning me to the floor.

The young Togruta flipped off of me and onto the floor with a cry and got to her feet, fists raised. I was finally able to get up and take a look at her completely.

The main color of her clothing was a dark reddish brown that highly resembled maroon. The same color was on her leather gauntlets, boots and skin-tight one-piece. Dyed leather strips ran up both of her arms like sleeves, but were not attached to anything, and had three cutouts of a diamond with a stripe going out from its horizontal vertices, around to the other side of her arm. A small solid line of the leather was hidden from view on the inside of her arm and was the only structure keeping her "sleeves" together along with the fabric's tight grip around her biceps.

The Togruta's smooth, slender back was exposed due to the one-piece's open back. Her shoulders were bare, most likely for better maneuverability, and two belts settled on her hips, crossing each other diagonally, each one holding a lightsaber. Both belts connected into one buckle. A long, patterned, purple piece of cloth came down from her belts' buckle and was triangularly shaped at the end. The long skin-tight stockings she wore were grey colored and also had a diamond cutout design, a large diamond at her upper thigh and five smaller ones descending to her boots. The girl's boots were cinched tightly with five gold buckles on the outside of either calf.

She had very thin, agile, athletic build and was tall for a girl. The other girls in the Temple were almost all shorter than me. Her eyes were about 3-4" under mine, whereas I was easily half a foot taller than most of the female Padawans in the Temple. However, she was roughly an inch or so shorter than me at the tips of her montrals. This girl was quite lovely and had no visible imperfections.

"Hey buddy...Hello? Anybody there?" She said, knocking my forehead with her fist. Her voice was sweet and had an air of innocence about it.

"Yeah, what? Sorry. Zoned out for a second. Are you alright? You were rubbing your head a second ago. Also, what were you saying?" I asked apologetically, shaking my head quickly to return to reality.

"Thanks, I'm fine, but for starters I was telling you to watch out and to look next time you take a corner. Then I explained how rude it was to stare at people...like you're doing right now..."

"Again I apologize, Miss..." I trailed off not knowing her name.

"My name is Ahsoka Tano. I'm Master Skywalker's Padawan." she told me proudly and cheerfully, offering out her hand.

"Well Miss Tano," I said taking her hand but recoiling quickly due to the huge spark that passed between us, shocking both our hands. I flailed mine in the air to dispel the pain and she held hers. "Well Miss Tano, I was saying that I apologize for running into you. Believe it or not, I was in fact checking my corners by sensing with the Force. I didn't feel you walking on the other side of the corner or else I'd have slowed. It's quite strange actually; I was able to detect a great many others before you. Anyway," I said nodding her way and bowing slightly, twirling my hand out to the side, making her chuckle. "Padawan Tokrin Helturus at your service; I'm Master Otarri's student."

I was never this outgoing. What is going on? I thought, incredulously. This girl was different from the others. I noticed her, and I wanted her to notice me too. She was easily likeable and very kind.

"You are quite the character aren't you?"

"Well, I tend not to enjoy a great number of people present at a time, so I'm usually more outgoing around small numbers."

"Hmmm," she pondered something and let me tell you her pondering face was just adorable. Ahsoka snapped her finger loudly, saying, "Aha! Now I know why you seemed familiar: you're that Padawan that everyone has been talking about that has the- the changeable lightsaber!"

I figured that, since I didn't have any other Padawan friends, the Council could wait so that I could have just one. And of course the fact that I thought Ahsoka was pretty contributed as well. I reached behind me and pulled the saber from its holder, bringing it in front to show her. I pressed the button and twisted both ways, separating my double-bladed hilt into two hilts.

"Wow," she said, admiring my creation. "How did you get that idea? Or even make it?"

"Actually I was going to train for two sabers like you, when I got the idea from Master Kenobi. He was giving us a lecture on Sith Lords and how to defeat them when a question arose about Darth Maul. I don't remember the exact question, but it originated from Maul's lightsaber, which was double-bladed. It came to me when Master Kenobi told us that he cut Maul's lightsaber in half. I thought, Wouldn't it be effective to have a double-bladed and a single lightsaber, or even two single lightsabers on top of that? I asked my Master and he told me that it would be a good strategy because I would be able to switch attack styles in the middle of combat. Master Otarri warned me that it would take more training but that a Jedi's lightsaber was anything he-" I tipped my head in her direction. "-Or she wanted it to be. And the rest is history! The lightsaber just has a simple mechanism that allows me to attach and detach the two hilts to and from each other. Just push, twist, and pull."

I demonstrated reattaching the hilts and then gave it to her to try. "Cool. What color?"

"Blue. Yours?"

"Green and yellow."

"Huh, I can understand why you chose those. The green would look good against your...nevermind. I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that. This is usually why I like the company of just me; I almost always make a fool of myself in front of other people," I explained, turning red.

"It's not a big deal; I don't mind at all. Besides, I'm curious now, what were you going to say?" Ahsoka asked, staring at me quizzically, one hand on her hip and her weight shifted.

I figured that I just let a budding friendship flow right down the drain, so I thought 'What the heck?' and told her. "Well I uh...was going to say that the green would match your skin color, and the yellow would complement your outfit well."

"You think so?" she asked, looking at her outfit. "No one has ever told me that before. All of the boys I've talked to have just straight up flirted with me. It didn't end well..." she laughed before continuing. "For them. I didn't think about the colors when I crafted my lightsabers. Hey, now that I think about it, aren't you the one that sits alone in the Mess?"

Like I said, I didn't have many friends, mostly because I was either out in the field, or studying hard. I couldn't afford to have the luxury of them. So yes, although I am ashamed to admit it, I did eat alone almost every day I was at the Temple, but those days were few and far between.

I didn't say anything because I didn't need to. She knew. I nodded my head and looked away from her gaze in total humiliation.

Ahsoka shook her head and looked at me sadly. "I was going to sit next to you a few times but when finally I decided to, you were either already gone or on a mission the next day."

It was clear that she was embarrassed that she did not take action when she could have. I decided not to say anything about it.

"I didn't used to be alone you know," I told her, thinking of Etain. "One very close friend of mine recently completed her Trials. I got to see her again today- well, more like, she saved my butt from out of a warzone. Anyway," I said holding out my hand for her to shake. "I need to get going to the Council or else they'll have my hide."

"Hasn't that meeting already started? I just got debriefed from my last mission and was wandering through the Temple allowing the Force to guide me when you tackled me," Ahsoka added a small smile when she mentioned my accident. She hadn't taken my hand yet so I stealthily withdrew it.

"Yeah it has-hence the running. That's funny, I was doing the exact same thing before I realized the meeting had already started. But yeah I really have to go," I told her holding out my hand again. This time she took it and again there was a small spark. "That is the strangest thing..."

Ahsoka looked puzzled, as if going over something in her head. "What is your comlink frequency? I'm heading out on a mission in a few days so even if I can't see you, at least we could talk."

I gave it to her and said, "See you later, or talk to you later, whichever works."

Ahsoka smiled, staying put where she stood saying, "Good luck with the report. Hopefully we'll talk later and fix that lunch problem."

Did she just say...? I thought. I couldn't believe it, I had a "date" to keep with Ahsoka Tano, Padawan of Anakin Skywalker. Probably shouldn't tell anyone, I thought.

She waved for second and I waved back before turning to walk towards the northwestern spire.

I thought I heard a man's voice behind me say, "Hey Snips! Who was that?"

I kept walking, not wanting to awkwardly turn around, when I heard Ahsoka's simple, and quiet reply, "A new friend." I felt eyes burn into my back as I quickly walked around the next corner.

Once I was out of view, my feet couldn't contain their energy, because I shot off down the hallway, not caring who I was going to be in trouble with for being late. It took me about 5 minutes to get to the spire entrance.

I arrived at the elevator to take me to the Council and hurriedly pressed the up button. I stared at the ceiling of the elevator and released a long sigh.

**-POV Ahsoka-**

"Hey Snips!" Anakin said. "Who was that?"

"A new friend," I told him softly, deep in thought as I looked back at Tokrin who was walking around a corner and out of my view. "Master, can Jedi have friends? You know, like, close friends?"

"Well that depends," he started. "If you are so attached to your friends so that your judgment is clouded by your overwhelming care for them, than I would say no, you can't. But, if you care for them at a distance and accept the fact that you need to let them go if they die or something else happens, then I would say yes."

I looked down at the floor as we walked together, "That's what I thought."

"What's wrong Snips? You look gloomy, and you're never like that."

"I just," I frantically searched for some way to explain my thoughts. "I guess I feel like the Jedi Code has doomed any chance we have for happiness; you know...true happiness."

"Oh, well, that's certainly understandable. I don't think I ever told you about my w-" he was interrupted by his comlink beeping. "Yeah?"

Obi Wan Kenobi's voice came over the comlink's speaker, "The Council wants you and Ahsoka to be present for this meeting. I'm sorry for not telling you before now, but there's been a development in Master Otarri's reason for retreat and you are needed. You'll be briefed on the details when you arrive."

At hearing this, my thoughts went to Tokrin. Maybe we'll go on a mission together! That'll give us time to get to know each other. I wouldn't see him almost at all the way things have been going around here, what with the war taking up everybody's free time. I wonder who the other girl he was talking about is.

"We'll be right up Obi Wan," Anakin spoke into the comlink and ending the connection. "You heard him Ahsoka, let's go!"

We jogged through the Temple's halls, arriving at the elevator to the Council Chambers. Anakin pressed the button and the lift shot up to the very top of the spire. The doors opened to Tokrin and Master Otarri standing before the Jedi Council. Tokrin turned and met my gaze, his eyebrows furrowed in obvious confusion and his head cocked a bit sideways.


	4. Surprises at the Council

**-Questions and Surprises (POV Ahsoka)-**

The lift slowed to a halt and the doors opened, revealing the entire Jedi Council staring at me. I'm doomed. Let's get this over with, I thought, walking into the center of the room to take my place at my Master's side.

"I apologize for being late Masters," I said bowing. "I was held up for a moment because I was following your instruction, allowing the Force to guide me while wandering the Temple."

Master Yoda stared at me and said, "Very Good. Make a new friend did you also?"

_How did he know?_ I wondered. Smiling proudly, I said, "Yes Master Yoda I did. Padawan Tano, Master Skywalker's student."

"Her recklessness, you must be wary of."

"Why is that Master?"

"Sometimes, trouble controlling her feelings she has. Spending more time with her, you will be soon," Yoda explained knowingly.

"Oh, ok," was all I had to say, completely beyond all knowledge of what he was referring to. Sometimes I thought the Council just wanted to confuse their students. _Why will I be spending more time with her?_

Master Windu faced me and said, "Don't let this tardiness become a habit young Padawan. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Master," I bowed his way.

"Not a mission debriefing, this meeting is. Instead a briefing," Yoda told me.

"We're already being reassigned?," I asked.

This time it was Master Otarri who spoke, "I spoke with Master Yoda and can explain what went wrong with the intelligence on Saleucami. It was as I feared."

"What happened?" I asked. "I lost a lot of men that day and need to know who, or what, is responsible for their needless sacrifice."

"A mole. Someone shared our plans with the Separatists before we arrived on the planet," Otarri told me.

"Who was it?"

"We aren't sure, but we know where they are headed."

"Yes," Master Windu said. "When we heard of your retreat, we immediately set our spaceport security on high alert as a precautionary measure; the 25th Sky Corp should have been a large enough force to use against the Separatists on Saleucami."

Just then the lift doors opened again revealing none other than Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan. _Ahsoka?_ I thought, completely caught off guard. I turned to look right at her, furrowing my eyebrows, and slightly tilting my head to the side. She just shrugged and walked into the room, positioning herself next to me.

Master Windu resumed once again, "Our spies also intercepted this coded transmission:"

A hologram appeared in the middle of the room, in front of us. The grainy image of Count Dooku appeared. He began giving orders to the person on the other end of the transmission.

_"Remember she is friends with many Jedi. Tread carefully and watch your tongue; no slipups about anything. Take her place quickly and quietly. Be sure that you leave for Naboo on the shuttle I have arranged for you. Do not fail me, or your life will have a sudden and unexpected end at the hand of General Grievous."_

The image switched to a hooded figure. When the figure spoke it was obvious that it was a woman, and it sounded like Senator Amidala.

_"Yes, my Lord. I will not fail you."_

The hologram dissipated as the transmission ended. Anakin was the first to speak, "Where was the message received?"

Windu looked at him gravely, "The Senate."

Anakin's eyes widened in surprise and in no time at all, his demeanor turned sour, "Are you saying that Senator Amidala could be the one in the hologram? It couldn't be! She has always been a loyal ally of the Jedi!"

Obi Wan stared Anakin down and shook his head, sending a silent message to the young man: Settle down.

Windu began to lose his patience, "If you had allowed me to finish what I was going to say Skywalker, you would know that we do not believe that Senator Amidala is involved, at least not the real Senator," he turned to the whole group, his anger disappearing. "The shuttle in question departed for Naboo not four hours ago and we believe our mole was on it. This person may be a changeling so take extra precautions when searching for or her. Unfortunately, Senator Amidala just took her own ship to Naboo, which means that there very well could be two of her present. We have already informed her personal guard to be with her at all times, as the changeling could easily swap herself with the Senator...any questions? Obi Wan," Windu cued his pier.

Obi Wan spoke up, "Also, be on the lookout for General Grievous. Since Count Dooku threatened the mole's life by mentioning Grievous, he could very well be present on Naboo with a significant force. I will have a small fleet at the ready in case you need assistance."

Mace took over again, "Your ship is already waiting for you in the hanger. We will be in contact when you reach Naboo. May the Force be with you."

We all bowed to the Council and turned to leave, when Yoda spoke up, "Padawan Tokrin. Use your emotions carefully you must, and remember that too heavy to lift with the Force, nothing is."

"I'll try Master."

Masters Skywalker and Otarri were ahead of Ahsoka and I, who entered the elevator last. The doors closed soundlessly and the lift began its descent.


	5. Trip to Naboo

**-Trip to Naboo-**

"Did you know about this mission?" I asked Ahsoka.

"No, I had no idea until after you left to get debriefed. Anakin and I were told by Master Obi Wan to go the Council right away," she replied honestly.

"That reminds me," I said, turning to Anakin to hold out my hand. "I don't believe we've met, Master Skywalker. I'm Tokrin Helturus."

"So, you're Ahsoka's new friend. Good to meet you. Ready for the mission?" he asked me.

"I definitely hope so; what do you mean?"

"You haven't encountered General Grievous before have you?"

I shook my head, "No. Thankfully my Master and I have been able to avoid him thus far!" I said, hoping very strongly that the General wouldn't be on Naboo.

"Well then, Snips here will fill you in about Grievous on our trip out there. He's one tough cyborg. No one has even been able to come close to taking him down in this war. Ahsoka battled him _alone_," he said, shooting a look at Ahsoka. "At Skytop Station and Florrum. She can give you a few words of warning, you know, just in case he is there."

"Any advice would be great!" I told him nervously, my gut clenching from the possibility of seeing Grievous face to face.

Anakin and Otarri ignored us to speak privately, while I leaned in with my shoulder and bumped Ahsoka on hers. "You didn't tell me you had a reputation with General Grievous. That must've been a _really_ fun day," I said sarcastically. The elevator doors opened and we all began our hike through the Temple to the hanger.

"Don't remind me," Ahsoka said through clenched teeth, rolling her eyes. "Master Skywalker chewed me out for going after Grievous alone. He was glad that I was ok, but still wasn't happy about my "recklessness." I mean, I saved lives! I don't know why he was so upset; I lived didn't I? It doesn't matter now anyway," she said, looking away in shame for losing control of her emotions, both on Skytop Station and in front of me. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

I ignored her last comment, but instead responded to what she said about fighting with Grievous. "I'm surprised that you lived-" I told her, quickly catching myself before continuing, as she looked up at me. "Not that I am doubting your abilities. It's just, the General has killed so many Masters that a Padawan would seem to be a piece of uj cake to him!"

"Thanks," Ahsoka said, trying to change the subject. "Have you had uj cake? I can't remember that last time I had it. It must've been while I was an Initiate. The flavors...I have never experienced anything so sweet."

"Ah, I know. That's a dessert that I would trade my lightsaber for, anytime!" I said, a bit too loudly.

Master Otarri heard this and turned to me, eyes wide, "I certainly hope you're kidding Tokrin! Trading a lightsaber for cake! Bah!" he threw his hands in the air for dramatic effect. I smiled; Master was never one for extravagant things in life.

Anakin laughed, "I see we have something of a chef among us! Let me think, the last time I had uj cake would have been when I went to Naboo as a kid."

Ahsoka chimed in, "Maybe we could get some! Do you think we could Masters?"

"I don't think so Snips, maybe some other time. We need to focus on the mission. By the way, Master Otarri and I were just discussing our roles in the operation. Ahsoka, you and I will be with Senator Amidala as her guard. Master Otarri and Tokrin will be searching for any information regarding General Grievous."

"Tokrin, you and I will be in the city. We will explore-ahem!-I mean, search the streets and cantinas for any rumors about Separatists, droids, or Grievous," he said, sending me a discreet wink. He knew how badly I had an interest in the culinary arts. One day many years before, not long after I was assigned to him as a Padawan, I shared with him how I wanted to leave the Order and become a cook. I frequently watched the diners far below the Jedi Temple with my macrobinoculars whenever I had the chance. By sending me that wink, I knew that we might be able to get some of that cake.

"Do you two have any questions or, concerns?" Master Skywalker asked.

"Yeah, what if one big trap is waiting for us somewhere in Naboo? Are we going to spring it or...," I asked.

"I believe you and I will be the ones to spring any trap laid before us, as Master Skywalker and Ahsoka are going to be watching Senator Amidala's every move," Master Otarri stated.

"Sounds good I guess."

Shortly after, we arrived at our ship, a T-6 shuttle, and Anakin reached the loading ramp first, moving to the side to allow everyone else aboard before him. Ahsoka and I took the two seats adjacent to each other behind the pilot and copilot chairs. Master Otarri made his way to the copilot chair, and of course Master Skywalker, having a reputation for being the best starfighter pilot in the entire Jedi Order, took the pilot's seat. Otarri began to check the ship's systems and complete smaller task, such as raising the loading ramp while Skywalker warmed the engines for takeoff.

I glanced at Ahsoka, "Don't you usually have a droid with you? R2...D2 right?"

She nodded her head, "Yep, R2 is almost always with us, but he's busy being debriefed and repaired." She gave me an embarrassed smirk, "He got a little beat up on our last mission...partially my fault."

"Yes it was, Snips," Anakin said looking back at her from his seat. It was clear that he wasn't too happy about how their last assignment had gone.

Master Otarri hit the repulsors and the ship lifted off the hanger's platform. Anakin fired the ion engines and our ship shot off across Coruscant. He leveled off and I unbuckled my seatbelt so that I could go explore the rest of the small stuttle. I didn't see Ahsoka try to get my attention, but just as I stood, Anakin yanked the small ship up, sending me flying back into my seat. The blow actually knocked the wind out of me.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves Helturus. Aboard my ship, we wait until we're in hyperspace to get up...unless there is an emergency," he said, laughing while looking over his shoulder.

"Yes, Master," I replied, breathing heavily from the sudden decompression in my chest. I looked at Ahsoka wide-eyed and she just shrugged: I tried to warn you.

I decided to keep still and stay quiet until we were in hyperspace to avoid any more embarrassment. Ahsoka and I watched the city pass below us as the shuttle blasted through the atmosphere, and into space. Once clear of the other trading vessels, assault ships, and transports, Anakin engaged the hyperspace drive. Stars blurred as we accelerated to faster-than-light speed.

Almost immediately, the shuttle leveled off and remained still as we passed through hyperspace. I carefully unbuckled my seatbelt and stood, being very mindful of Anakin's every move behind the ship's control.

"So what did you need to get up for?" Ahsoka asked.

Skywalker and Master Otarri's seats unlocked from their forward positions and spun around. "I have Tokrin meditate, to learn to focus the Force, whenever he can; at least, that is the goal. Tokrin, did you not meditate when we were at the Temple?"

I quickly glanced at Ahsoka and said, "I was...a bit preoccupied, Master."

"There's the loading ramp area that you could use," Ahsoka offered.

"Go meditate Tokrin, I'll tell you when we are entering Naboo's orbit," my Master instructed me.

"Ok, Master." I nodded to Ahsoka and followed her through the bulkhead leading to the back. "This'll work," I told her, motioning to the junk lying in the corners and small crates scattered across the floor.

"Ok," Ahsoka said slowly; she had yet to find out what happened when I meditated. "Do you want me to go back up to the cockpit or stay here? I'll leave you alone if you want but I figure we could make good use of the time before we all split up; I'd be happy tell you what I know about Grievous while you meditate."

"Stay here; your presence is reassuring. I need to learn about Grievous anyway. So, is it true that his arms separated into four arms?" I said, sitting with my back straight up in the middle of the floor and closing my eyes, putting my hands on my crisscrossed knees.

Ahsoka walked to the hull in the doorway leading to the cockpit and sat down, leaning up against it, pressing her feet flat against the other side. You would have had to step over her to enter the "room" where I was.

"Yeah, it's all true. Defending against four lightsabers is nearly impossible, even with several Jedi," she began.

I reached out with the Force, in essence spreading my thoughts and feelings across the floor of the ship. Each object and piece of junk suddenly became a particular feeling or thought. I felt these objects with the Force. It almost felt like I was lifting each one individually; as if my hands were actually reaching underneath them, trying to get a grip to move them or lift them. With a small push in my head, all of the objects in the room were lifted off the floor and organized. For instance, durasteel pieces lay scattered on the floor, symbolizing the droid army and the possibility of Grievous on Naboo. In another corner, two types of ration packs were put together, one colored blue, the other orange. I had a feeling I knew what _those_ signified. Two more ration packs were also present in the room, colored green and red. The red, I moved next to the others, and the green as well, but it got stuck on a sharp piece of durasteel and ripped open. _Ugh, I need to be more patient and not move the pieces so quickly._

I figured the green signified Master Otarri because of his green lightsaber, but who was the red? Along with these groups, I created others across the room while listening to Ahsoka. She began her next sentence slowly; I felt her observing me and the other objects, wondering what in the world I was doing. "So, Grievous, he's got strength because he's a cyborg, mostly made up of droid parts, and is super fast. Watch out for his more aggressive attacks, which he uses all the time; they'll cut you into pieces if you aren't careful. His feet are just as dan-"

"Duck," I told her out of the blue.

"What?" she asked, trying to get my angle.

"Duck!"

She did and a rather large durasteel plate came in from the cockpit, just missing her head, and joined the others. "Oh. Thanks, I guess. Well anyway, his feet are deadly. They can grab you and throw you very hard; learned that the hard way. Grievous is deadly anywhere and at all times so just, be careful if you see him."

I reached out to the cockpit with the Force and found more little pieces and parts laying on the dashboard. I grabbed those and brought them over Ahsoka's head, to float in front of me. I began spinning them faster and faster and lifting them up and pushing them down, creating a sort of rapidly rotating sphere. I had to open my eyes to see for myself what I had done when Master Skywalker came in, stepping over Ahsoka's legs, with a small tool in his right hand.

"Alright, very funny who just stole the pieces to my new project?" he asked.

I looked up at him and stopped the pieces from moving. "Sorry Master, didn't know you were using them. Here you go," I said, sending the little pieces into his left hand. The other objects in the room remained in motion and Master Skywalker watched them all moving about, apparently impressed. He stood where Ahsoka's feet were and even leaned against the hull, arms crossed, to watch the bustling pieces. My eyes closed again and I continued to focus on the junk flying around me.

**-POV Change to Ahsoka-**

It truly was amazing, watching every object in the room float around. Tokrin had such concentration. To be able to lift that many objects, even if small, and then control each one, organizing it into his own strange way, was astonishing. I felt envy for his control, his patience, and his focus.

_I wonder what he's thinking about_, I thought._ What the-?_ I suddenly felt my Padawan braids lifting up as well. I looked up and they were slowly wrapping themselves around my montrals. I smiled, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tokrin's slightly opened left eye blink closed. _He was watching me, and what's the deal with the braids?_

Master Otarri appeared behind me in the cockpit. He whispered, trying to stay out of Tokrin's earshot, "He is one of the best Padawans I've ever seen at focusing the Force to use telekinesis or the other movement abilities. He would be a very dangerous Sith, so be glad he's on our side."

Anakin just humphed.

_We _are_ lucky to have him_, I thought, closing my eyes to try to get some sleep.


	6. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

Hey everyone, sorry about the very long wait. I was in Costa Rica for 2 and a half weeks and I let my time slip away from me for a bit. I'm going to try to continue publishing a few chapters for this story every week. Thanks for reading!


	7. Author's Note 2

**Author's Note:**

I am so very sorry for not posting chapters lately. My laptop died out of nowhere and it took about a week to get a new computer. It's very frustrating both for you and especially for me. I have all these great ideas for how this story will come out, and I lost a week.


	8. A Tiresome Arrival and a Hearty Meal

**-A Tiresome Arrival and A Hearty Meal (POV Tokrin)-**

After some time had passed, Master Otarri and Master Skywalker left Ahsoka and I in the loading bay and returned to the cockpit. I was surprised that Ahsoka decided to stay, but I figured she would rather have my company than her Master for the time being. I sometimes needed to get away from Master Otarri too.

The small ship dropped out of hyperspace and flew us towards the planet Naboo. Once I felt the deceleration, I gently dropped the floating scraps and pieces to the floor. I looked around and noticed that Ahsoka had nodded off. I smiled and walked over to her, shaking her shoulder to wake her. She opened her eyes and looked up at me. I held out my hand to help her up and she grabbed it. I hauled her up and followed her into the cockpit to take our seats.

No one said much during our descent, but gasps and sighs of wonder could be heard from me as the city of Theed came into view. We flew to the left of Theed Palace, which was perched precariously on the edge of a cliff leading to an gaping hole. Water spewed over the edge from under the palace and the city itself. The water fell an immeasurable distance, creating a thick mist that clouded the view of the massive hole in the ground. The palace had multiple towers surrounding a humongous dome, on which another large dome sat, overlooking the city. However, the most notable feature of Theed, was the green copper roofs to the domes scattering the city. From what we could see, the city streets were teeming with people.

"It's going to be hard to find changeling in _that_," I said, vocalizing my thoughts.

"At least this is a smaller city. It'd be really hard to find her in a place like Coruscant," Master Otarri said, looking my way over his seat.

Anakin steered the T-6 to Theed's hanger and set down. After unbuckling ourselves from our seats, we gathered in the loading bay as the ramp lowered slowly. Master Skywalker and Master Otarri walked down the ramp first and were greeted by a captain of Naboo security. Ahsoka and I followed them down as they began to speak.

"Senator Amidala is expecting you Master Skywalker," he said bowing. He turned to Otarri, "Master Jedi, I'm afraid we haven't met. I am Captain Typho, Senator Amidala's head of security."

"Master Otarri. It has been a long while since I have seen Theed. Your city is as beautiful as I remember it to be."

_I don't remember him ever telling me about going to Theed once. I'll have to ask about it later_, I thought.

"Thank you Master Otarri. She has only become even more wonderful to experience as she passes through time," Typho replied.

"Quite right, Captain," my Master said, motioning to me and Ahsoka. "I believe you have already met Master Skywalker's Padawan, Ahsoka Tano before-"

"Ms. Tano," Typhos said, bowing slightly.

"-but you haven't met _my_ Padawan, Tokrin Helturus."

"Padawan Helturus, your reputation precedes you," the Captain said, bowing again.

"It does?" I asked, not knowing where he could've possibly heard about me before.

"News of a Jedi Padawan with a double-bladed lightsaber and two other single-bladed, tearing up the droid ranks has traveled all across the galaxy," he explained to me.

"Well it's apparent that not all of that news traveled soundly; I only carry one lightsaber," I told him reaching behind me to grab my lightsaber. "I do carry a double-bladed, but I can switch to two lightsabers if I choose," I said, demonstrating the transformation quickly, then putting it back together.

"I can't say I've ever seen something like that before."

"It's the first!" I said, proud of my invention.

Anakin cleared his throat impatiently, "Typho can you take us to meet with the Senator?"

Blood rushed to my face as I realized that I was showing off a bit. Captain Typho seemed to snap out of any informality that he used with me and replied to Anakin like a typical soldier, "Of course Master Skywalker. Follow me."

He turned and led us out of the hanger and into the streets. Everything I had seen so far had been extravagant, from the granite and marble floors to the stone-carved buildings. Typho led us to the entrance of the Palace. The word "extravagant" didn't give this building justice. The hanger was to the left of Theed Palace so we had to walk along a curved passageway that ran along the palace's courtyard in either direction. We followed Typho to two massive doors which eased open as we approached. Inside was a large elegant lobby with glossy marble and granite floors, and more elegantly carved stone pylons and columns all around. Senator Padmé Amidala was walking towards us with the rest of her personal guard. Their footsteps echoing across the great room. She wore a sleek silver dress that flowed like a river from her shoulders to the floor. Her eyes lit up when she saw us. I frowned, feeling a strange, hateful presence in the Force. I noticed that the others felt it too as their faces look likewise troubled. Our groups met in the middle of the large floor and the Senator's security guards broke off and departed down the hall. The presence slowly dissipated and then vanished. Captain Typho was the first to speak.

"Milady, Masters Otarri and Skywalker have arrived with their Padawans."

"Thank you Captain," she dismissed him quickly to speak to us. "It's good to see you again Master Skywalker, and you too Ahsoka. Master Otarri, it is an honor to meet you and your Padawan..." Senator Amidala trailed off, clearing searching for my name.

"Padawan Tokrin Helturus, Senator. Pleased to meet you," I piped in.

"And you as well," she said, turning to Master Otarri. "I trust you had an uneventful trip here."

"Yes Senator, we ran into no trouble," he replied Padmé.

"What do you two think about the threat of a changeling posing as me?" Amidala asked Skywalker and Otarri.

"I think that we need to be keeping close watch on you to be sure that the changeling does not swap places with you," Anakin said.

"Yes, Anakin and Ahsoka will stay with you, as they have known you for longer and will notice an obvious change in personality or speech, while Tokrin and I will be in the city asking around for who might know of a changeling," explained Master Otarri.

My stomach growled. I put a hand to my gut and looked down in embarrassment as I felt everyone's eyes on me. We hadn't eaten for hours and my urge for uj cake, which was possibly right around the corner, was quickly becoming an unstoppable force.

"Forgive me, my thoughts of the changeling got the better of me. I realize that you must be hungry from your journey." Amidala said sympathetically. "Let us convene to the dining hall for dinner, where we can discuss these troubling events."

Anakin gave me a look that I couldn't decode. He was either embarrassed by me or angry at me; I was hoping it was nothing more than embarrassment. Master Otarri rolled his eyes, put a hand to his forehead, and shook his head. Ahsoka bumped my on the arm as we all headed towards the dining hall.

"Nice job," she said sarcastically. "I guess that's one way to say, 'Dinner time!'"

I smiled and shook my head in silence as we approached the grand table. It was at least 12 meters long and covered with food! Something caught my eye. I motioned Ahsoka in closer so she could hear me.

"Is that..." I asked her, trailing off for her to fill in the blank.

Her eyes widened, "Uj cake!"

Padmé smiled and glanced back at us, "Your masters commend me during your flight and asked me to get some. It is a delicacy of Naboo and must be had by anyone arriving here for their first time."

I looked to Master Otarri and he smiled, nodding his head. Ahsoka and I struggled not to sprint to the table and dive in. Somehow we restrained ourselves and took ours seats; I sat across from her, our masters sat next to us, and Padmé sat at the head of the table next to them. We all waited for the senator to get her food until we got ours. After she cut into her food and began to eat, we followed suit.


	9. Kidnapped

**-Kidnapped-**

"Thank you very much for dinner Senator," I said.

"Yes, Padmé, the food was amazing as always," Ahsoka told her graciously.

"If it is alright with everyone else here, Tokrin and I need to get some rest before we get going tonight," Master Otarri said.

"Of course. Allow me to show you to your rooms," Padmé said empathetically.

We all stood as our hostess did, and followed her up the grand staircase. It split in two directions; we went right. It seemed apparent that for Ahsoka and Anakin, this was not the first time they had stayed in Theed Palace. We walked up the stairs and disappeared down a long marbled corridor. I found that Theed Palace had a warm air about it, even though it was mostly made of rock and cold hard materials. Our footsteps echoed across the floor and over the walls until Padmé finally halted in front a tall, ornate door.

"Master Jedi, this is where you will be staying for tonight, and for whenever you return," she said.

My master bowed, "You are too kind Senator."

"It is the least that I could do, especially since you are heading this investigation with Master Skywalker to protect me," she said smiling looking from him to Anakin.

He smiled and nodded humbly, "It is my pleasure to help. Sleep well everyone. Oh, and Tokrin," he said turning to me. "I will come get you in about an hour to head down to the streets to look around there."

"Yes, Master."

"This way Padawan Helturus," Padmé said.

I walked next to Ahsoka as Padmé led us down the hall until we came across another tall door that was just as intricate.

"This is your room young Padawan."

"Thank you very much Senator. I hope tonight reveals some information about this changeling character."

She nodded, "Me too. I shudder just thinking about what nefarious plans Dooku has cooked up this time."

"Well, all I know is that the four of us will be able to stop it," I turned to Ahsoka and Anakin. "Goodnight Master; Ahsoka. We will comm you if we run into any trouble."

Ahsoka nodded, but her master spoke for the both of them, "Be sure to do that. We are going to be in the rooms around Pa- the senator's. Guards will be at the door and inside, so we shouldn't have any problems; if we do, well, just keep your comlink on."

"Will do Master."

I opened the door and stopped in the entryway to try and take everything in. I entered my _suite_. I had a large bed, at least a king, with pillows galore laying on top and a refresher connected to my room. Extravagant didn't quite give the suite justice. It was much more than that. Chairs, a small living room, handcrafted furniture, and a fireplace were just a few features of the room. The towels alone could make a person want to stay; they were softer than anything I had ever felt. Grabbing one, and some robes that were already laid out on my bed, I headed into the 'fresher for a shower. A short while later I re-entered my room feeling refreshed and ready to explore Theed. I wandered around the room, examining every inch of my space. My eyes wandered out the windows to the copper-topped city below. I found the balcony and leaned forward on the stone railing. The view overlooking Theed and the countryside beyond was worthy of note; the sun was going down and the sunlight glanced off of the rooftops of the great city. Yes, I could easily get used to living here for a _long_ time. This place made the Jedi Temple look like a bantha sty! A knock on the door drew me out of my trance.

"Come in," I called out, my eyes still pouring over the city, trying to watch all the people milling around.

"Good evening Tokrin," Master Otarri called out from my room, only to join me on the balcony. "What do you think of Theed and Naboo?"

"It's beautiful Master. I'm amazed by the buildings, and the food, and the scenery...It's all incredible! I never knew that you had come here before."

He didn't say anything for a moment, and I thought I heard him whisper, "There's a lot you don't know," but I could've been mistaken. "I grew up here in fact."

"Really? How-?" I cut myself off trying to form the words in my head. "I thought that younglings were chosen before they were too old to- what I mean is, how old were you when you were found to be Force using?"

"I was 7."

We were quiet for a while after he said that. I knew he didn't have any desire to talk about his childhood, and I didn't want to talk about something that made him feel uncomfortable. However, I felt that things were different; almost that he wanted me to ask.

"Was it hard to leave?" I asked him cautiously.

He answered me quickly, "Just ask Master Skywalker; he was taken away at a young age too. He almost wasn't accepted into the Order. I-" He sighed heavily, but then started again, "I knew my parents and it was hard to leave them knowing that I would probably never see them again. I'd like to see them while we're here..."

"Where did you live?"

"Out in the country. My parents were poor. I think that's why they let me leave when I got recruited. They wanted me to have a better life than they could give me, so I'm thankful for that at least."

"Maybe you can ask them when we visit!" I said trying to give him some hope. Typically Jedi never saw their parents again and very few ever knew them. I certainly didn't know mine.

"Yeah, maybe," he trailed off obviously deep in thought. "Ready to go?"

"Yes, Master."

We straightened up and I followed him off of the balcony, back into the room, and out the door. We walked back to the stairs and down to the landing where the two staircases joined to one. The dark presence returned and I stopped. It crawled all over my skin making the hair on the back of my head turn up, sending a chill down my spine.

"Master, do you sense that too?"

"Yes Tokrin, I think we should check on-"

A loud crash came from down the hallway that the other staircase led to and interrupted him. He and I sprinted up the steps to the corridor above.

"Tokrin, go that way!" he directed, pointing right. "If you feel the presence get stronger, call out to me."

"Yes, Master!" I said running off down the right part of the corridor. As I ran, looking and listening for anything suspicious, the presence got weaker. I stopped near the end of the hallway when I heard my comlink beep. I hit the receiver and heard Master Otarri.

"Tokrin, come quickly!"

Without answering I turned on my heel and bolted back down the way I'd come. I came across the staircase quickly and blew past it. The darkness I felt got more oppressive and much stronger than before. A blue glow was visible at the end of the hall. I saw Master Otarri outside of a hefty door, his lightsaber in hand. Sounds of a scuffle on the inside could be heard out in the hall.

"It's locked," he told me. "We'll need to force it open."

I nodded in response and he put his saber away. I closed my eyes; in my mind I saw the door opening, but as I manipulated the Force to do it, the door exploded outwards from the center. The body of a guard had been thrown through the door and out into the hall. He slammed up against the opposite wall before slumping down to the ground. For a split second I saw his face change into something liquid black with a long snout, before it turned back. The "guard" glanced up at us, surprisingly unharmed and stood, only to run towards the staircase. Anakin jogged through the hole that he had made, Ahsoka right behind him. Both of them looked pretty rough; Ahsoka had a horrible looking cut on her cheek and Anakin had a purple bruise the size of a nerf steak on his neck. Both of them were covered in dust and bits of debris.

"After him! Padmé was kidnapped!" Anakin shouted running after the suspicious guard. Master Otarri, Ahsoka, and I quickly gave chase to him as well, falling right behind Anakin.

"Sorry we didn't comm you," Ahsoka said between breaths as we chased after the guard. "We had just left Padmé in her room with a handful of guards, when we heard a scream. Next thing we knew, Padmé was being taken away in a speeder with what looked like a Mandalorian bounty hunter. All of her guards are dead. We found this guy though. He attacked us as soon as we entered the room. It all happened pretty fast and I don't think that he was planning on us seeing him take her away."

The guard stopped at the staircase and began to change. He grew shorter as he morphed from a man into a bizarre, black, oily liquid like creature. He looked up at the four of us chasing after him and leaped out into the air over the tall staircase. We arrived at the stairs to see him land heavily on the landing. To catch up, we also leaped into the air. Anakin landed first and without skipping a beat he jumped the next flight of stairs as well. We each repeated this action to keep the speed and momentum from slowing. Some guards on the inside of the large door had just let in some politicians to visit the queen when the creature landed in the main hall. He saw his opening and took off towards the door. We looked on in dismay as he dashed out into the city. The guards opened the door for us to run through and then closed it to secure the area.

Anakin mumbled under his breath, "Please don't change. Please don't change. Please don't change."

The sound of a starting repulsorlift pulled my searching eyes to the right, where we saw speeder lights not 60 meters away in an alleyway pierce the darkness.

"There!" I called out pointing to the light. We tore after the speeder before it could fly away. "Ahsoka and I'll take the roofs! Come on!"

Our masters kept running, intending to confront the speeder head on. Ahsoka followed me hood up as I jumped and landed on a small two story home. I quickly scrambled up a sloped part of the roof and jumped up to another story. Now I was high enough to leap to the building with the alleyway and the speeder. I quickly took a few steps back for more room, ran to the edge of the building, and jumped. The air rushed through my hair and robes and before I knew it I was thudding down on the target roof Ahsoka mere seconds behind me.

"Over here!" she said, calling me over to the edge of the roof. The sound of the speeder was almost overwhelming at the top of that small alleyway; the noise was channeled up the walls of the adjacent buildings and into our ears, deafening them. We looked down to see the craft rising slowly to get above the rooftops. A large device of some kind was modified into the back of the speeder. That wasn't anything that I had seen before and it seemed to be humming.

"Hey! What's that?" I yelled to Ahsoka over the noise, pointing to the thing in the back of the speeder.

The humming intensified.

"I don't know!" she hollered back. "Should we put a tracking device on it?"

The humming got louder and began a tumult of repetitive humming waves, almost like it was charging.

At this point, talking was irrelevant because we couldn't hear each other anyway. I nodded my agreement, but used my hands to show that I didn't have a homing beacon. She pointed to herself and shook her head.

'I don't have one either.'

Our masters were looking ready to jump up to the speeder, but their expressions changed. They looked perplexed, as if trying to comprehend something. I saw Master Skywalker mutter something inaudible to Master Otarri before he threw a small item at the speeder and they crouched, preparing to spring at it.

_Now we've got him!_ I thought.

Unfortunately, as soon as that thought passed through my brain I was suddenly thrown through the air and blasted through shrubs and a rooftop garden. I stopped moving when I slammed into a wall; pain shot through me from my head to my feet.

My eyes opened for one last moment, and I saw the speeder flying away into the night before everything went black.


	10. Recovery

**Author's Note: **Sorry about this late upload everyone! I have been working on this chapter all week, and was going to combine two events into one, but it kept getting longer and longer. I figured I'll split the difference and have two chapters instead. Here's the first!

**-Recovery (POV Ahsoka)-**

My eyes struggled to open. It took about 3 long attempts for me to finally force them to stay open for more than a few seconds. Apparently I had landed in a bush in another alley. My head was lolling to the side and my back

was up against a wall. There was no sign of anyone else around me.

My thoughts went to Anakin, Tokrin, and Master Otarri. Tokrin was with me up on the roof, but when that... wave hit us I lost track of where he was. Anakin and Master Otarri were down below. I had no idea where they could be; I hoped they were alright. I blacked out when I rammed into the side of a building. A small consolation was that I was relaxed as I fell down between buildings keeping anything from breaking when I landed on the bush. The "gift" I received was a large bump on the very back of my head. My arms and legs were all but falling off though. I could see my left arm in the narrowed field of vision, but my right was covered by some branches. I felt searing pain run up and down my beat up limb, but I was able to get it free to observe the damage. Thankfully it wasn't broken, but I had one unbelievable bruise along the entire length of it. Cuts, gashes, and scratches were also newly added all over my body; I assumed that many of them were from the bush.

Seconds seemed like hours as I slowly gained the strength to get up. It was still night time from what I could tell; dawn was nowhere in sight, which meant that I was only out for an hour or so at most.

"Ahsoka!" I heard a voice calling out. "Ahsoka!"

It sounded like Anakin's voice.

"Here," I weakly croaked.

Footfalls could be heard from around the corner, near the street. It was hard, but I succeeded in lifting my head up and to the right. A silhouetted figure emerged from the street. A hand beckoned to someone concealed by the building in front of me.

"This way! I think I found her!" The span between the footfalls got shorter. The figure ran towards me. As it neared I recognized Anakin. Another figure appeared behind him and briskly walked to me as well. Master Otarri came into focus about the time that Anakin reached me. He didn't appear to be hurt much at all. Some dried blood ran down his face from his forehead and dust covered his brown and black robes. Master Otarri didn't seem too injured either, but a slight limp had formed in his step. Anakin kneeled down in front of me.

"Ahsoka, how are you? Are you hurt? Is anything broken?" he asked me quickly. He moved his face so that I could look into his eyes.

"I'm good Master. Huh, better than ever!" I weakly remarked. "I need some help getting up, but I think I can walk. My right arm hurts though."

He looked at my arm when I said that and winced, "Wow Snips, that's a huge bruise! Let's get you up and back to the palace for some bacta." He reached out his hand, which I promptly took with my good one. He pulled and I was back on my feet.

"Tokrin...he disappeared when that thing hit us. I didn't see him but if you got thrown than he did too," I wobbled a bit, but Anakin caught me, placing both hands on my shoulders to steady me. "Let me help find him." I knew I couldn't but I wanted Master Otarri to know that I was worried. I was sure that he knew of his Padawan's lack of companions and knowing that he had at least one would go a long way. Masters are like adopted mother and father figures to us Padawans since we rarely knew our own parents; they taught and guided us just like our own parents would have done, and during the difficult times, they would expect us to come through almost completely on our own.

"No, Ahsoka," Anakin said curtly. "You are in no position to help _us_. You're the one that needs help right now.

Since Master Otarri injured his leg he can help keep you standing while I go looking for Helturus."

Tokrin's master came over on my left side, lifting my arm over his head and around his neck, letting my hurt arm dangle. We both watched as Anakin crouched and then jumped high into the air, causing a small cloud of dust to billow in his wake. Master Otarri stared at the copper colored roof and looked full of concern for his Padawan's whereabouts.

"I'm sure Tokrin's fine, Master," I told him.

"Of course, of course," he said breaking his stare by shaking his head.

"What happened to you and Master Skywalker when that wave hit?"

"Well, we saw a device in the back of the speeder and neither of us knew what it was. Your Master threw a homing beacon onto the underside of the craft and then we got thrown across the street. However, we had braced right before so we were slightly more prepared. I only skidded across the paved avenue but my foot struck a raised, stone planter, spraining my ankle. Master Skywalker ended up flying through the air and landing head first in a tree. Both of us were unconscious and when we woke up, we regrouped and started looking for you two."

"I'm glad you're okay Master Otarri."

"Thank you Ahsoka," he said. "I'm glad that you are without serious injury as well."

We stood in silence for only a moment or so before Anakin came to the edge of the roof with Tokrin's body slumped over his shoulder.

"Look out below!" He called down to us and promptly dropped Tokrin from the roof. He fell for just a second when his body slowed it's descent. Anakin's hand was out and he used the Force to bring Tokrin to us. Master Otarri looked more than a little relieved to see his Padawan, whether he wanted to show it or not. Anakin let Torkin gently down to the ground and jumped from the roof. He landed heavily in a crouch and stood to walk to Tokrin. He picked him and and brought him over to us. Master Otarri looked stunned and I gasped as he came closer and I saw the damage done to my friend; he certainly got the worst of us all. Dried blood was caked in the hair on the back of his head and on the once tan robes covering his upper left arm and right calf. His right side was soaked with blood as well; _that_ wound hadn't sealed yet, and had dripped onto Anakin's shoulder. Bruises and cuts covered his face; his robes were torn all over, revealing a beaten, but toned figure.

"He needs bacta...badly," Anakin told us. "I think he was thrown through hedges and bushes and was skewered on some branches. I found him unconscious in a heap with two branches in his side and leg. I don't know what cut his arm but it looks bad enough. Let's go."

The next few hours were a blur as we hobbled back to the palace, which, ironically was only a stone's throw away. Before we set off though, we had tried our comlinks, but couldn't find them; they were lost in the incident. With no one to come pick us up we had begun our trek; each step felt like a mile to me as we walked up the palace steps. Guards at the palace door called for a medical team and once inside, we were whisked away to the med bay. There, 2 bacta tanks were prepped and ready for me and Tokrin. I looked on as Master Otarri and Anakin got bacta spray applied to their cuts, bruises, and injuries. They clenched their teeth, trying their best to bear the pain of the fast acting first aid. The team stripped me of my clothes, behind a curtain of course, and gave me some skin tight medical garments specifically for bacta tank use. It looked much like a diving suit, except that it only covered my private areas, leaving all of my injuries exposed to the bacta. I assumed that Tokrin had the same done to him. Some medical staff led me over to a gurney opposite Torkin's. He had a breathing apparatus over his mouth and as I watched closer, I began to see him stir. Before he woke however, they gave both of us a sleeping drug. Exhaustion took over so I laid my head down on the gurney pillow and fell asleep.

Muffled talking reached my montrals. I opened my eyes to a blurry image of several doctors and medical staff standing over me. My master came into view and I could tell by the use of his hands that he was aggravated. Finally the noise cleared enough for me to understand what was being spoken about.

"Doctor Kendala we need her back in the field _now_. This threat isn't just a threat to the Senator's life, but also a danger to Naboo. Now," he began calmly, attempting to contain his growing anger. "I need my team to go after this _threat_ so that you and everyone else here has a chance to live another day. Are we clear?"

"As day Master Skywalker, but you should know, neither of them are fit for combat duty- least of all this young Padawan here," he said motioning to Tokrin's gurney. "He really needs to stay here and _heal_." Doctor Kendala moved closer to Anakin to get in his face. He wasn't as tall as him, but he wasn't about to be intimidated by a tall Jedi Knight.

"They'll be fine. Believe me, I wouldn't be asking if I didn't need them immediately," Anakin said coldly, looking down at Kendala and moving closer to him.

"Hey!" Master Tokrin's voice sliced through the fray and extinguished both aggressive personalities before him, while his hands physically separated the two hotheads before things got rough. "Let's all calm down. I believe that I can be of some help here. I didn't do this earlier because of my own wounds and my need to completely focus on the process." He moved towards me and placed one hand over my head and another over my stomach. "Hello Ahsoka," he said warmly.

"Hello Master Otarri."

"Glad to see that you're awake. Let's get you back in action shall we?"

"Yes sir!" I replied eagerly, still not sure what he planned on doing.

With my go ahead he closed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows, concentrating deeply. In a flash, blue light shone down from my forehead and from my stomach. My skin tingled as cuts healed, blood vessels repaired themselves, strained muscles relaxed, and gashes connected as Master Otarri hovered his hands over my body.

"Force healing," Anakin muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "At this level it should be virtually impossible. H-How?"

"I used to be a Jedi Healer before the war young Skywalker. I healed many for years, practicing and honing my skill," he smiled. "More than a few clones were rather grateful for my abilities."

I sat up, Master Otarri's hands over my legs, slowly going down each one. Once finished he backed up, allowing me to swing them over the right side of the gurney so that I now faced my broken friend, Tokrin. Several screens on the wall showed his heartbeat and the location of his broken bones. I quickly glanced behind me to find that I too was being closely monitored. Master Otarri walked over to his unconscious student to place his balled up fists on the gurney and hang his head. He took a few long, drawn out breaths and placed his hands over Tokrin's stomach and head, like he did to me. Once again, blue light lit up the surface of Tokrin's skin. Everyone watched in awe as Tokrin's wounds, which seemed to be far worse than mine, were healed. Broken bones knit together, causing his body to move and shift on its own, and the sites where he was impaled or scratched sealed up. Master Otarri healed Torkin much like he did me. He finished with a sigh, the blue light fading away into his palms. Tokrin began to move.

"Wha-What happened?" he said, sitting up and shaking his head to come out of his stupor.

"Well lets see," I began with a smile. "That device we saw went off and sent all of us flying. You and I were injured the worst, the speeder got away, Master Skywalker was going to kidnap us out of here, but our wounds were too bad for us to do any good in the field, so Master Otarri used the Force to heal us! Now you're caught up."

Tokrin looked up to his master, "I forgot that you could do that. Thank you Master."

"Yes, thank you Master Otarri," I said.

"It was my pleasure, young Padawans," he said with a bow. "Now, on to the plan."

"Yes- but first," he looked at Kendala. "You and your team need to leave room please."

"Why? This is _my_ emergency room, _you_ leave," he said, clearly getting impatient.

Anakin sighed and lifted up his hands in submission, "Look- ugh, fine. Have it your way." He looked at me,

Tokrin, and Master Otarri, "Let's leave the doctor alone, shall we?"

We were too embarrassed to say anything, so Tokrin and I kept quiet. Master Otarri opened the door and stepped aside for us to go through first. We did and waited on the other side; Anakin stared at the doctor but finally relented and exited the small medbay, Master Otarri right behind him. They led the way as Tokrin and I followed, feeling a bit awkward after witnessing what had been the second standoff between Kendala and Anakin in only a few minutes. He led the way to a private terrace overlooking the gaping hole behind the palace.

"This should do fine," he said putting his arms out and leaning on the railing, looking out and down over the great crevasse. "While you two were in bacta, we figured out how to proceed and drafted a plan with Obi Wan. The homing beacon is still working," he said pulling out a holochart, "and it led us here." He pointed to a portion of Naboo that was in the middle of a lake surrounded by grasslands. "We will enter here," he said pointing to a waterfall on the south side of the lake. "_That_ is where the speeder entered and it's exactly where we'll be heading next. This is most likely another base of operations much like the Blue Shadow Virus lab. However, I don't suspect that it will be used for chemical weapons. So, here is the plan: We will all infiltrate the facility, find the mole and eliminate _it_, blow up the facility, and if we run into any problems at all, we will contact Obi Wan for help."

"Sound good?" Master Otarri asked.

Tokrin and I nodded our agreement. I was still unclear on one subject though so I spoke up. "Masters? How long were Tokrin and I out?"

Master Otarri looked up at me, "Two and a half days."


	11. Author's Note 3

**Author's Note: **

Hey all. I couldn't leave my computer without telling you that I'll be gone for a few days. I don't have a laptop, so that means I can't submit a new chapter until I get back. I've been working on something pretty good that leads right up to a _very_ exciting sequence of events! I'll be working on it as I can while I'm away so that I can upload it by _next_ Saturday.

-Pritchett127


	12. Heading Out

-Heading Out-

After almost three days of being unconscious, it felt great to get back in the action. We waited until nightfall to put our plan into motion. Master Kenobi and his ship were orbiting above the planet and had sent down a larty to take us to the waterfall. The unique sound of reverberating _whumps_ soon drew near as we waited in the palace hanger. Everyone was quiet, contemplating a harsh reality; Grievous, the Jedi hunter, _and_ killer, could very well be present in that base. I tried to distract myself by looking around at some of the elegant Naboo starfighters in the hanger. I looked up to see the larty bank right, facing the hanger and coming in for a landing. The bright headlamps flashed my eyes, forcing me to squint hard. The agile transport landed soundlessly on the polished, ornate marble floor that reflected all of the light in the hanger back up in our faces. If it wasn't for the rumble of the engines, you'd have never known it was there. The pilot saluted as we neared the craft and came aboard. No troopers were to accompany us, as four skilled Jedi were more than adequate for this mission. Each of us had packs with enough explosives to level the hanger. I stood on the starboard side of the larty, hanging on to the safety strap above me with my left hand.

"We're all set!" Master Skywalker shouted to the pilot over the roar of the engines.

I leaned to the left to get a glimpse of the cockpit, and saw the pilot's hand move and touch something on the control panel. Gravity pressed down hard on my shoulders and my stomach fell from where it was down to my feet as the repulsorlift kicked in, taking us off the ground. Once out of the hanger the pilot gunned the engines and we shot off into the darkness and possibly our death.

The clones were very skilled in all of the areas their specific training, so the pilot, who must've been trained in special ops, switched off the lights and switched off a few things that would've made extra noise. The sound was almost completely gone save the sound of the engines. The doors remained open for the entire trip allowing the wind to whip in and grab at our clothes. My hair blew around more ferociously when I leaned far out of the deckplate, out underneath the starboard wing. I looked down and watched the dark green grass and small rivers pass beneath us at roughly 600 kilometers an hour. We were only 150 kilometers away, about fifteen minutes to go.

My body was pulled forward when the larty decelerated, but I had a firm grip on the safety strap so I didn't fall. The pilot had flown us to the backside of a hill one klick from the waterfall as to avoid being discovered. I jumped off with Master Otarri on my side, and Ahsoka and Master Skywalker jumped off on the port side. The larty took flight immediately and disappeared quickly into the dark.

Master Otarri beckoned us to follow him up the hill. As we neared the top we all dropped to our stomachs and crawled the rest of the way to avoid detection.

"There it is," Otarri said looking out over the plains. I crawled up next to him as he pulled out his macrobinoculars. "It's...0.8 klicks away."

In front of us was a small valley with a an endless, grassy plain on the other side of a roaring river to the right. To the left was a small stream. The waterfall fell from a plateau that, from left to right, gently rose out of the grass, peaked, and gently faded back down level again. Rocks crags poked out from around and through the waterfall, splitting it into multiple falling stream of water.

"See any easy way of getting in there without anything seeing us?" Skywalker asked coming up on the other side of Otarri and pulling out his pair of binoculars.

"Yes. See that stream to the left? The one that diverts from the river?"

"Yeah. Use that for cover? Somehow get up to where it splits from the river and use the rocks the rest of the way?"

"Exactly. Ready?"

"Are we sure that there is a cave, or...an entrance behind the waterfall?" Ahsoka, who had crawled up next to me asked.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see. The target disappeared when it reached the lake and it came heading from our position, so it could have gone through the waterfall or just gone straight through the lake up top," her master replied.

She shrugged, "Works for me."

We set the plan in motion, hiking down and to the left of the plateau and the stream. I dropped down onto the stream's bed and my boots set water and mud into the air, caking my robes. Master Otarri led the way, his long cloak dipping far into the low water and dragging across the muck and mud. The water had carved a wide gully into the plain over years and years of Naboo's rainy season. It was wide enough for three people to walk shoulder to shoulder and tall enough for us to only hunch over to avoid being seen. The rainy season had already come and gone, so the water was trickling by at barely an inch deep. Since we were hunched we had a limited view unless we stopped to crouch. I didn't want to make the group stop so I strained my neck by looking up ahead of us. The moonlight glittered off the shallow water and soaking wet mud.

"Almost there," Skywalker announced.

I could see a tight, right bend up ahead, that I assumed led to the waterfall. We trudged on towards the corner, but soon, I began to notice the rushing sound of water. Master Skywalker disappeared around the corner, then Master Otarri. I heard a yelp and a big splash, followed by another. Hugging the wall of the gully , I took the corner and was met by a large pool of water that I didn't see until I had also fallen in. I surfaced and searched for Masters Otarri and Skywalker. Their heads were bobbing on the surface; their bodies were under the water, acting to stay afloat.

"Whoa!" Ahsoka hollered. A splash quickly followed. The wave from her splash met the side of my face, sending cold water up to my eyes. I sputtered and spit out the water that had gotten into my mouth and down my windpipe.

"What now?" I asked everyone hoarsely.

"Keep going of course!" Skywalker said cheerfully.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Ahsoka said sarcastically.

I smiled and slowly made my way through the water after Otarri and Skywalker. As we neared the connection to the river, I could feel the lapping of the water that diverted, slosh up against my neck. The water was chilly, especially when the cold night air came over our clothes as the water became more shallow and instantly sent chills across our bodies. The water was ankle deep now, but rushed over our feet like wind whipping around a building.

"I don't see an easy way up the- ah!" Master Otarri said, looking left and river,over the river. "Here we are. There's a long narrow strip of sand that looks as if it continues...all the way up the river. Only one person at a time though."

"I'll go first," Skywalker offered.

"I'll follow," Ahsoka added.

"And I'll go last," Otarri said before I could say anything. "After you Tokrin."

My group continued with great care on the strip of sand, less than one meter wide, to bypass falling into the water. The journey up the river was beneficial in fighting off the cold, as our cores began to warm up, additionally heating our clothes as well. It was slow going. It was a comfort that we didn't have to bend over any more. The rocks we saw in our recce of the area gave us sufficient cover for the length of the river. After what seemed like forever, the blasting sound of water crashing against rock reached our ears. The top of the plateau was always visible, but now it loomed overhead like one of the high rises on Triple Zero, Coruscant. We took a bend of the river and before us was the waterfall. It was about 50 meters high. The water was white as it cascaded down to the pool from the lake at the top.

_No one would live through a fall from_ that _height- well, unless they had armor anyway, and even then the rocks at the bottom would finish anyone off._

Some rocks to the right formed a sort of walkway only Jedi could use. The type that made the person walking it, Force jump great lengths and heights to get to the next position, and then on. The pool at the base of the waterfall was _very_ deep. Skywalker crossed first, then me, then Ahsoka, followed by Otarri. As I swam across through the strong current, using the Force to deaden the push and pull of the water against me, a crack split through the sound of crashing water. I looked towards the base of the fall to see an orange figure slip off some of the rocks. After a few feet of floating the lump began to sink and disappeared under the water, heading for the bottom. I quickly grabbed my underwater respirator and dove in after it. I opened my eyes in the clean, clear water, but due to the darkness, couldn't see anything. I grabbed my lightsaber, and used only one half, putting the other in it's place on my belt. My finger thumbed the saber on and a hue of blue lit up specs in the water and gave me more light than I had before. I lifted it up in front of me, causing some fish to scatter. Up ahead I could see the rough outline of the figure, which appeared to be a person, arms and legs dangling down. I swam under him to the left and brought my lightsaber up to his face. I figured the person was a man because of his body type. I recoiled when the saber's light lit up the unmistakable t-shaped visor of a Mandalorian.

I deactivated my lightsaber and put it away. Grabbing him with one arm around his torso, I swam towards the surface of the water. We broke through the water gently as I could not swim quickly with so much weight dragging me down. I left my rebreather in place in case I couldn't swim to shore and sank. An arm shimmied its way across mine to help me carry the Mandalorian to shallower water. I glanced over through my repeating strokes to see that Ahsoka was the one helping.

_That's surprising. Didn't take her for the get-your-hands-dirty sort._

I was very grateful for the help. The Mando was becoming extremely heavy as I burned up whatever energy I had in reserves. Although the shore was only a short distance away, it seemed like forever before we reached it. Together, with a final grunt, Ahsoka and I heaved the armored man onto the sandy shore. I flopped onto the sand, exhausted. My left arm and my leg muscles ached from the long use. I took the rebreather off and placed it back in my utility belt, but the air was still like a fire when it moved down my throat to fill my lungs.

Our masters were wading towards us to see what we had discovered. Ahsoka, I noticed, had also flopped over and was breathing heavily. She looked up and I nodded the Mando's way, indicating that we need to check out who he was before anything else. She nodded back, getting into position to push the large hunk of armor towards me. On the count of three I pulled on his right shoulder plate to roll him over. Ahsoka grabbed her glowrod, as my bigger lightsaber prevented me from carrying one. She inhaled quickly when she saw the gashes and the blood illuminated by the light. Three shredded holes were ripped into the top of his helmet- right through the durasteel.

"There's no way that's Mandalorian Iron. Stuff's hard as- well, it's lightsaber resistant so nothing could get through it. This di'kut had a durasteel helmet," I said examining the crown of the buy'ce- helmet. There wasn't much blood actually on the helmet, but the area around the holes had some smaller drops of it. Underneath was a different story however. I couldn't much tell the difference between blood and water because it was so dark, but armor like this never got that wet, inside or out. I reached my fingers slowly behind the man's helmet and suddenly felt something very wet, causing me to shiver and close my eyes tight. I had found another hole in the helmet casing. I swallowed hard, my eyes still closed shut, and continued to the right until I had found another, and then another. I allowed my hand to keep moving around the casing, but found that I was back to the front again.

"Six holes," I gasped, letting go of the helmet. I didn't realize that I had held my breath for so long. "What- Who could've done this? Who would've done this to a person, Mando or not?"

Ahsoka swallowed hard and looked down.

"A mix between a person and a machine. Heartless but powerful and strong willed," said Skywalker, motioning to the poor Mando offhandedly. "You said there were six holes. Guess how many talons each are on the lovely general Grievous' feet? Six. This guy is proof that Grievous is present on Naboo. No one- Nothing else would've wanted to do this."

I wanted so badly to say something reassuring, if not to the group than just to myself, but fear had silenced my mouth and my thoughts. It gripped me hard. I could feel it in my gut; a painful vice that twisted and flexed. I wanted to see who the victim of this horrible act was. I leaned over the body, still on my knees, and put my hands on either side of his buy'ce. I pushed away from his shoulders, sliding the helmet off slowly. I didn't know what or who was underneath, but I had to see. I knew it was wrong to put a face to the person because I would become attached emotionally, rendering me useless in a fight against the one who killed him, but I wanted to know. Needed to know. First a chalky white chin appeared, then a closed mouth, nose, eyes, and one and a half eyebrows. A fleshy sound from inside the helmet made me stop. I kept my mouth shut tight to avoid losing the food we ate just hours before. At the count of three I continued. I whipped off the helmet, set it aside, and gazed at what I had uncovered. Looking down at the face, avoiding the mess at the top, I couldn't help but be stricken with fear.

This could be me. This might be me. Fear was a funny thing. If you let it get a hold on you and listened to the doubt in your mind, you could become a heap of tears or a crippled, useless stone. But if you conquered your fear, if you could overcome the urge to run and hide, you could become a very dangerous opponent. The stories of the Jedi Hunter were quickly catching up with me as I saw what he could do to a Mandalorian bounty hunter, the best trained killers and soldiers in the galaxy. That was it; my gut clenched.

"Uh oh," I said quietly. I moved my hand to my mouth, and despite my screaming muscles, I hurried over behind a rock and vomited uncontrollably. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Master Otarri coming over to assist me. He put his hand on my back and asked me if I was ok. Tears streamed down my face and a bad taste was left in my mouth. "Yeah," I said spitting to try and clear out my mouth, "I'll be ok. I just...Master when clones die, we rarely see anything besides missing armored limbs; bodies are torn apart, but not with intent to be cruel. We hear the screams and they haunt my dreams for days after, but we don't see as much brutality as that!" I sniffed, trying to get a grip.

"I know," my master said kindly. "And that describes our current predicament as Jedi- we aren't meant to fight wars. We are peacekeepers, not soldiers," he said motioning to the dead Mandalorian. "This kind of evil and malice is something we never see. I am proud of you for handling your soldiers' deaths the way that you have. I had a hard time agreeing with this myself, but as Jedi we need to grin and bear it; facing this darkness head on is the only way to stop it."

I was still panting, my stomach muscles contracting while he talked. As he finished I stood from my knees and walked to the river to wash out my mouth. At that point I would've drank anything if would get that taste out of my mouth. The water looked clean enough so I knelt down and dunked my head in, opening my mouth and sucking in as much water as i could. I resurfaced and spewed it back out, then repeated twice more. My legs stood me up, but I kept my head hung to let the water drip off. I shook my head and wiped my face with my hands, also moving back any hair in the way.

"Ok!" I said with a start towards the group. Ahsoka eyed me warily. "Let's go hunt the hunter! First things first though." I walked through the sand to the dead bounty hunter and began taking his armor plates off.

"What are you doing?" Anakin asked curiously.

"Just honoring the dead, Master," I said, on the verge of sarcasm. I didn't want to sound rude, but I was filled with resolve. He would get a decent burial one way or another. "The only way I can think of going about that is giving this guy the best burial we can offer him and by remembering him. I'll take his armor to Mandalore and bury it there with his relatives when and if I find them...Anyone object to this? I don't exactly see how this breaks any part of the Jedi Code."

Master Otarri shrugged, "I don't see any problem, just don't get attached. You know how you are about their language and culture; you are constantly enthralled by it."

"I'm impressed Helturus. Quite a noble thing you're doing; even if it is for a killer. I may not be your master, but I still have one condition," Anakin said.

I looked up at him, "And what would that be?"

"Tokrin..." Master said, silently warning me to stop while I was ahead.

Anakin looked from me to Otarri as if waiting for us to finish. He resumed graciously, "That you not do it now."

Master jumped in, "Yes. We are already heavily laden with thermal dets, and you most certainly are not wearing that armor. It was just housing a dead man for who knows how long and I'm not about to let you go full Mando all of a sudden." He looked at me sternly, further emphasizing his point. I wanted to prove him wrong; to tell him that I wasn't getting attached to a culture and heritage that I had so long driven to have, but I couldn't. I tried to keep his gaze, but relented and averted my eyes, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks.

"Yes, Master."

He looked pleased that the issue was resigned. "Get on with it then."

I nodded my agreement, got on my knees next to the bounty hunter, and began to finish pulling off the rest of his armor plates. I secretly wanted to keep them, but for now, I would listen to my master and hide them until we returned. With the plates stacked and set aside for the moment I could focus on burying the body. I found a spot not too far down the bank which was mostly made of sand. I heard the quiet slush of footsteps in sand behind me saw that Ahsoka was trailing after me. She quickened her pace to catch up and spoke in a low voice.

"I think it's a great thing that you're doing. Can I help at all?"

The offer caught me a little off guard. I thought she would've sided with our masters, but Padawans stick together I suppose.

I smiled, "Of course! The assistance is appreciated. Thanks for helping me out with getting him out of the water."

She returned the smile, "Sure! I was happy too. Besides, it looked like you were about to drown!"

I laughed. It felt good to shrug off the embarrassment of an argument. "Come on, let's get started."

We had reached the area that I had in mind, but we continued to talk anyway. She knelt down next to me and we put our hands out over the sand. I could see the hole forming in my mind- the sand and pebbles moving up and out to pile up a meter or so away from the grave. The Force flowed through me, intensifying my senses. I opened my eyes and the sand and rocks were moved. But when I looked into the hole, a huge rock was smack-dab in the center. Ahsoka used the Force to move it up and over to where my pile was. She opened her eyes and looked up. A moment passed by, and then another, and then another as she smiled at me; I tried to get my bearings but it was useless. I heard myself clearing my throat and standing. It felt like someone else was controlling my body. I wanted so much to go back just a few seconds and be in that out-of-mind moment. The stench of a dead man brought me back to myself.

I coughed and wiped the rising water from my eyes. "Gah- that's a bad smell. You grab the legs."

We returned for the body and hauled him to his grave. Again, using the Force, we shifted the sand and pebbles, but this time filled the trench. The body was gone and there was nothing more to say. I stood and fetched the armor plates. Another hole was buried not far away and the plates hidden for the moment. I doubted anyone would come looking for the Mando or anything of value out here.

"Can we move on?" Anakin asked.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," I replied.

My group and I found a walkable trail along the side of the pool that lead up to the waterfall. Upon arriving at the base, our masters began to climb and jump and vault their way to the top; Ahsoka and I tried to keep up, but did not struggle. Soon we found ourself very high off the ground. A thick curtain of water separated the outside of the waterfall from the inside, and with an agile dash forward, Anakin crossed the threshold. I was the last to be drenched by the curtain and met up with the others. A large hole-one big enough for a speeder to fit through-was now visible in front of us. A thick and pitch black darkness inside the hole was an ominous foreshadowing of what lay beyond. I took a deep breath and followed Ahsoka inside.

**Author's Note Part 1:**

About this chapter...Well I kept trying to sit down and write this one, but the words just weren't coming so it took a little longer than I'd like.

**Part 2:**

I wasn't sure where I was going with this for a while and needed some time to figure it out. Even though it has been a long time, I'm not giving up on this story so easily! School's back so I'll be working on this less, but please keep checking back.


End file.
